Beneath the Blinking Lights
by SonicGirl2002
Summary: AU Three-Shot. They were so used to associating her with confidence and insanity, that they tended to forget: she was still just a teenage girl. And they were still her family, which meant they were going to help her through it all. Even though they knew she would drag them down anyway.


Alright, someone be ashamed of me Dx I sat here at my computer typing this random thing up INSTEAD of working on We All Fall Dead...self, what the heck?!

But I had to type this up, while the event it's based off of is fresh in my head! So basically, this whole story is about preparing for my school's yearly formal dance, which was one of the greatest nights of my life. So I figured, "Hey, why not make it a story so I'll remember it for like, ever?" So I did xD I had to rest my feet anyway. Dancing for two and a half hours straight is no easy task, m'dears! But anyway, yep, school dance, so this is technically AU.

Anyway, I am officially dedicating this story to my amazing friends who I had the honor of sharing such an amazing night with:

**Rachel**

**Raina**

**Micaela**

**Maxx**

**Nicole**

**Kayla**

And of course, my best friend in the whole world and beyond...

**Kota**.

I love every single one of you with all my heart! Thank you for everything!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any characters from _Tales of the Abyss. _I only own Kuro, and technically Kota, even though Kota is an actual person who I don't really own...but now I do! **

**WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE AHEAD!**

* * *

Chapter 1

_Finding, Reassuring_

Guy let out a breath as he pulled his jacket tighter around himself. Damn, was it cold outside. And the rain sure didn't help. He turned to gaze longingly at the building behind him. He was waiting outside again why?

Oh yeah, because he was going to have to help Luke reign in the kids. Grumbling under his breath, he pulled out his cell phone for the fifth time and checked the last message the redhead had sent to him.

_On our way. _That had been sent a little over a half hour ago, and he knew that the Fabre family did _not _live thirty minutes away from the mall. More like fifteen, twenty at the most.

Guy had just about given up, had enough, and turned to go wait inside when he heard a splash behind him. He turned to see that a shiny, red car had just pulled into a nearby parking space. He grinned to himself as he caught sight of the two, thick black stripes that ran over the hood and onto the trunk. That was a car he knew very well.

"It's about time, slow pokes!" he called over the drizzle as the car door opened. Out stepped Luke himself, the wind tossing his bangs into his face.

"We aren't late!" he retorted. "You're just early!"

"Actually, no," Guy corrected as he walked closer to his friend. "You're late. We agreed on two o'clock, and it's almost two forty." Luke gave him a sheepish grin and scratched his head.

"Heh. Guess we are late."

"Not our fault." Guy looked over Luke's shoulder to see Asch, who had just stepped out of the driver's seat and was staring at him. "In case you've forgotten, we do have an annoying thirteen-year-old sister."

"What'd she do this time?"

"We were halfway here when she suddenly springs it on us that her darling Kota needed a ride," Asch said sarcastically. "So we had to drive all the way back to pick her up." Then he rapped his knuckles on the roof of his car. "Hey, you guys getting out or what?"

"We're checking for puddles!" came the response from inside, and Guy frowned at the voice.

"There aren't any, it's not raining that bad! Just step out so we can go in!"

Guy blinked in confusion as the door to the backseat opened and out stepped Tear. And then the door on the other side opened, and Natalia stepped out.

"Whoa, hang on," the blonde spoke up. "If they were in the back, then where…?" Asch rolled his eyes as he closed his and Natalia's doors, then walked over to the trunk of the car. He pressed a button on his keys, and a beeping sound echoed throughout the parking lot. He reached down and popped open the trunk, revealing two dark-haired girls curled up with an I-Phone in their hands and earphones shoved in their ears.

"Right here," Asch said simply. One of the girls looked up from the screen, and her face split into a grin.

"We're here?"

"Yes, Kuro, we're here."

"Sweet!" Kuro shot up into a sitting position, the earphone falling out of her ear as she shook her friend. "Yo bro, we're here!"

"Finally!" the other girl said teasingly, sitting up as well. Asch glared.

"Hey, be happy that I drove halfway back home just to pick your ass up and bring you here."

"Yes, Asch," the dark haired girl said in mock sweetness. "I'm very grateful that you brought me, even though I knew you were going to because Kuro here asked you, and you're her bitch."

"_What was that_?!" Asch shouted, but before he could move any body parts, Luke was there, grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

"Asch, c'mon, you know Kota's just messing with you!" Kota grinned, and she and Kuro hopped out of the trunk. Asch was glaring daggers at the blue-eyed one, but stopped trying to break away from Luke's grip.

"We shouldn't be starting scenes in the parking lot," Natalia scolded lightly. "And it's cold out here. Can we please go inside?"

"Race ya!"

"You're on! C'mon, Guy!"

"Me? But I-! Hey, wait!" The laughter and voices faded away as the three took off towards the entrance to the mall.

Asch roughly jerked his arm free of Luke's grasp, turning his face away. Luke frowned and poked him sharply in the shoulder.

"Stop being so moody!" the younger redhead chided. "You know that's how Kota is!" Asch didn't reply, and Luke huffed, then wrapped the older one in a hug from behind. The oldest Fabre sibling stiffened at the unexpected contact, but slowly relaxed and let the other hug him.

"Just remember why we agreed to even do this," Luke whispered, voice low. Asch let out a breath through his nose and nodded. Smiling, Luke let Asch go, stepping around him to grab Tear's hand. The couple started off, following the trail the other three had took. Asch ran a hand through his blood red hair.

"I'm debating whether or not this whole trip was worth it, even for my sister," he mumbled as he and Natalia followed the others. The blonde girl smiled at him.

"If you think about it, Kota was right, in a sense." Asch glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, eyebrow raised.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes," Natalia replied. "Because you're the type of brother who loves seeing his siblings happy." Asch's lips twitched into a slight smile. "…You softie." The girl beside him tacked on. Now he turned to her with a grin.

"What, would you rather I be a total ass of a boyfriend?" he questioned as he slipped his arm around her waist. She giggled.

"No thank you, I like softie Asch." He chuckled, pulling her close as they reached the door where Luke and Tear were waiting. Luke pulled open the door and they all filed into the building.

xxx

"Alright! Stupid half-ass dress code rules!" Kuro announced as she pulled a folded piece of pale purple paper out of her pocket. Unfolding it, she held it out in front of her so Kota could see too.

"Rule number one," she read aloud, "No strapless dresses, even with shawls and shrugs. Spaghetti straps are acceptable. Two, dress cannot be low-cut in front or back, even with shawls or shrugs. And three, minimum dress length is to the knee." Hastily folding the paper back up, Kuro replaced it in her pocket and turned to the others. "Alright, so let's go!"

"What exactly are we looking for?" Tear asked as they reached the dress section. Kuro shrugged.

"Nothing in particular. Just something cute that fits. It needs to be colorful, though."

"What's the theme, again?"

"Mardy Gras," Kota called from behind a dress rack. "It's this festival in Rio or some place like that, and some crazy shit happens there."

"The hell kind of theme is that?" Asch called, and Kota shrugged.

"Not like we picked it."

"If we'd picked it, we woulda picked something awesome!" Kuro piped up, browsing through a dress rack of her own. "Like…glitter festival!"

"Glitter festival?" Guy repeated, and Kuro giggled.

"You should see the decorations we found!"

"Oh my God, I was scrubbing glitter off my cheeks for _days_!" Kota said.

"Hey, Kuro!" Luke called. "How about this one?" Kuro turned to see her brother holding up a dress. It was white with a sequined black band right under the chest, with a ruffled skirt and a leaf pattern in various shades of gray and black. Humming, she moved closer, fingering the silky fabric.

"…Yeah!" she said eventually, beaming up at Luke. "Let's try it!"

"Hey, Asch!" Luke called as he threw the garment over his shoulder. "I think I'm actually pretty good at this!"

"I don't think that's something you should be happy about," the older boy called back.

"Oh, come on!" Luke chided as he strolled over to his twin, a sly grin on his face. "You can't be saying you haven't found anything you think any of the girls would like."

"Nope." The middle sibling gave the older a pointed look. Asch offered him a glance over his shoulder, before sighing in exasperation and rolling his eyes, pulling a dress off the rack.

"Fine. I found this one." He turned and held it up. It was a crisp white in color, falling to what appeared to be mid-length, with thick straps and a black ribbon tied in a bow in the back. "I thought Natalia would like it."

Luke eyed the article Asch held thoughtfully. Then he nodded. "I think she would, too." Asch looked away and carelessly threw it over his arm, but Luke didn't miss the light blush that dusted his cheeks. He chuckled lightly, bumping his hip purposely against Asch's as he slithered away.

"No way!" Kuro said. "I ain't wearin' that!" Kota laughed as she held the green dress she'd found out to Kuro.

"But you'd look so _cute _in it!"

"Like hell I would!"

"At least try it!"

"Get it away from me, Kota!" The two girls erupted into giggles as Kota placed the dress back with its copies. Kuro turned to examine the rack as well, from the other side. She gasped, and her hand shot out to grab a dress.

"You are trying this on," she ordered, slipping back onto Kota's side of the rack and holding out the dress she's found. It was sort of long, but not down-to-the-ankles long. It was a dark red on the bottom layer, and a lacey, see-through black layer with flowers etched on it was placed on top of it. It looked completely and utterly Kota-like, and they both knew it. The older girl reached out and took the dress.

"What, you can make me try on dresses but I can't make you do the same?"

"Nope! 'Cause you're my bitch, not the other way around!"

"I thought Asch was your bitch."

"He is, but you are, too. And Luke," she added as an afterthought, and they giggled again.

"Hey, Luke?" Said redhead turned from the rack that had gained his attention to see Tear behind him, holding a dress of her own. It looked like it fell to the knees, and was dark purple in color. The top of it was ruffled and creased, but something was missing.

"It's pretty," Luke pointed out, "but it's strapless." Tear smiled at him and moved her fingers so she was pinching either side with only her thumb and index. The garment fell, revealing that she was holding it up by two spaghetti straps. Luke grinned.

"Definitely worth a try."

"Hey, Asch!" Asch turned around to see Guy standing a few aisles away, holding something red in his hands and raising it so he could see. "Ten bucks if you try this on!"

"Hell no!"

"Oh, come on! You're so lame!"

"My pride is worth more than ten bucks, Gardios!"

"Fine. Fifteen then!" Asch rolled his eyes and turned away from the blonde.

"…Oh, wait! Asch! Asch come here!"

"I'm not putting on a dress, Guy!"

"Not that! Look!" Reluctantly, Asch turned around to see what had Guy so worked up. Now the blonde was holding up a dress plaid in various shades of blue and a matching cloth band around the waist. "Think Kuro would like it?"

"Oh yeah," was the immediate reply from said girl's oldest brother. "She'd go nuts over it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Its blue, isn't it? Automatic win."

"Asch, Guy, come on!" Tear called. "We're going to go try on the dresses!"

"Oh, I can already imagine how fun this'll be…"

Thankfully, the changing room wasn't very busy, so the boys lounged around in the main room while the girls took off into the stalls. Kota and Kuro went into the same one, which didn't really surprise any of them.

"They're probably plotting world domination in there," Guy joked once the girls were all behind closed doors.

"Or devising a plan to get Asch's car keys," Luke suggested cheekily, and Asch scoffed.

"Like that'll happen." Luke just grinned as he leaned against Asch's arm, and he felt something soft and silky brush against his elbow. He looked down, then poked Asch in the side when he identified it.

Meanwhile, Natalia was struggling to pull a dress up over her stomach. It was no use, though. It was too tight around her thighs. She sighed as she tugged it off. It had been so pretty, too.

She turned around to grab the other dress she'd found, but then a knock sounded on her stall door.

"Taken!" she called, assuming it was another woman wondering if the stall was empty.

"Damn right you are," the voice called again, and Natalia frowned at the familiarity of it.

"Asch?"

"Try this one on." Then a white dress was tossed over the door and landed on Natalia's blonde head. Blinking, she pulled it off and looked at it. It was even prettier than the one she'd liked that hadn't fit.

Kicking the old dress off her foot, she undid the ribbon on the back of the new one and slipped it over her head. It fell over her body as if it was made just for her. The length went down about an inch or two under her knees. The ribboned sash was snug but not tight or uncomfortable around her middle. It was practically perfect.

She opened the door, planning on heading to the stall over to ask Tear to help her tie it, but froze in her tracks when she saw Asch waiting just outside in the hall. He looked her up and down, and she felt her cheeks heat up.

"Does it feel okay?" he asked, stepping up to her.

"Fine," she mumbled as he turned her around, taking one end of the ribbon in each hand and tying it for her. When he'd finished, she stepped back into the stall to look at herself in the mirror.

It wasn't practically perfect, she decided. It _was _perfect.

"Did you pick this out?" she questioned as he stepped inside as well. He hesitated, then nodded.

"I did."

"It's…It's _beautiful_," she murmured, sliding a hand across the smooth fabric. "Thank you…" His hand caught the one examining the dress. He raised it to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it. She smiled at him in the mirror, her cheeks burning.

"You have to get it!" Kuro's voice came in from across the hall. "It looks so good on you!"

"Dude, I can't _breathe _in this damn thing!"

"So? Breathing isn't _that _important!" Natalia giggled slightly.

"Whatever you do," Asch stated, pulling away from her, "don't let them hear you laugh. If they think they've got one over you, all hell will break loose."

"Don't be so dramatic," Natalia scolded teasingly, and he gave her a small smile.

"I'm not being dramatic. I'm being realistic." With that, he stepped out of the stall, closing the door behind him to let her change. She turned and gazed at her reflection longingly before slipping the dress back over her head.

A definite keeper, for sure.

"Well?" Luke pried when Asch came back into the main room. "Did she like it?"

"Loved it," Asch said simply. "I think it's the one she's getting."

"See? I told you this wouldn't be so bad!" The oldest sibling rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched ever-so slightly. Luke grinned and looped his arm through the other's, satisfied when Asch didn't resist.

Tear stepped out then, wearing the purple dress she and Luke had picked out earlier. She smiled shyly when she walked past them, standing near the full-length double mirror. Luke's eyes were wide as he watched her, his mouth opened slightly. Smirking, Asch reached out and placed a finger under the younger redhead's chin, pushing his lips together.

"It's not polite to stare, Luke," he said, loud enough for Tear to hear. She looked over her shoulder, and her icy blues met his emerald greens, a mad blush staining both their cheeks. The melodist whirled around and hurried back to her stall and Luke ducked behind Asch as she slipped by.

"Asch, I hate you!" Luke hissed, but hid his face in Asch's hair and gripped his arm tightly despite his words. Asch's smirk only widened as he petted the younger's hair.

"Kuro!" Guy called as he stepped back into the changing room. "They didn't have any bigger sizes!"

"Damn it all!"

"Oh, too bad, so sad, let's get out of here!"

"H-Hey! Close the door, I'm not done changing yet!"

A few seconds later the two girls slipped out into the hallway, their dresses bundled in their arms and discarded into the 'Return to Racks' basket.

"Nothing?" Guy questioned, and the girls shook their heads.

"Nada. Gotta keep looking. What about Tear and Natalia?"

"I found one," Natalia called, approaching the others with the white dress over her arm. Her eyes met Asch's, and he smiled slightly but knowingly at her.

"I…I think I'm getting this one as well…" Tear spoke up as she too came over. The purple dress was clutched tightly in her hands and her eyes were on the floor, cheeks still stained red. Luke gulped and slipped further behind Asch.

"Dem lovebirds," Kota whispered in Kuro's ear, and the younger giggled.

"Come on, there's one more section here we can try!" the youngest Fabre sibling exclaimed, slipping her arm through Kota's, and they took off. Guy followed after, along with Asch and Natalia, but Tear and Luke stayed behind, staring at each other for a while.

"Um…I…I wasn't…like _staring _at you staring at you. I was just…um…" Luke stumbled over his words and bit his lip. "…You looked…r-really…nice… In the dress, I mean." She smiled shyly at him.

"Th-thank you…" Tentatively, Luke reached out, hesitantly meeting her gaze as he took her hand. Still smiling, she nodded, grasping his hand more firmly. A matching smile etched across his lips as well.

"Hey! Luke, come on!" Luke looked ahead to see Asch waiting on the path leading deeper into the store. He waved in acknowledgement, then headed towards the other redhead, tugging Tear along behind him.

xxx

"Why does it have to be black?"

"It doesn't. I just prefer it, that's all."

"You're gonna look so emo!"

"I am not gonna look emo!"

"Black is _not_ Mardy Gras like!"

"Hey," Luke spoke up, breaking into the girls' argument. "What about this one?" He held up a lengthy dress with a black top and tie-dyed purple skirt, with straps the melded together at the top to form a collar and a small cut in the chest area.

Kuro took in the dress for a second or two before turning to Kota. "You're-"

"Trying it on," Kota finished. "I kinda figured." But her grin led her friend to believe that she didn't mind at all.

"Kuro!" Guy called, and the brunette turned to get the blonde into her vision. He was holding up a long, slinky dress that was a pink and orange tie-dye with one thick, ruffled strap and one spaghetti strap.

"…I dunno-"

"If you're turning it down just because its part pink, I'm going to kill you, then shove your dead body into it and bury you with it on." Kuro and Luke both slowly turned to face Kota, as did Asch, Natalia, and Tear, who were lurking nearby.

"…Damn," Asch said finally. "That's a pretty extensive death threat."

"A serious one at that," Kota stated, crossing her arms. "You're trying it on."

"O-okay, okay! Geez!" Kuro mumbled, walking over and accepting the dress from Guy. Kota smirked.

"Bitch." A shoe was whipped at her face.

"Only in your dreams, _bitch_."

"Can we not do this in a public shopping mall?" Guy suggested, pushing Kuro in the direction of the changing rooms.

"Good idea," Luke agreed as he took Kota and pushed her away. The two girls scurried off to get changed.

"They're friends why?"

"Birds of a feather flock together," Asch quoted as he came up behind Luke. "They're both crazy, so they're friends."

"That doesn't sound very logical."

"It's Kuro and Kota. Logic doesn't exist in their universe."

A few minutes later, Kota came out wearing her dress. It looked good on her, and fit just right. They all waited for Kuro to come out, but when she did a few more minutes later, she was dressed in her normal clothes, the dress bundled in her hands and her eyes downcast.

"Didn't fit…" she mumbled, handing it back to Guy. She looked over at Kota in her dress and smiled weakly.

"That looks awesome on you." Kota nodded.

"Thanks… Are you okay?" Kuro smiled, and everyone could instantly tell it was fake.

"I'm fine. Come on, let's hit another store. I still need my dream dress, don't I?" She gave a weak laugh before hurrying off to the entrance of the store, without waiting for anybody. Luke blinked, then shot Asch a worried look.

"She isn't fine," he said, and Asch nodded.

"I know…" He pulled away from Luke and headed in the direction Kuro had gone off in, Luke at his heels. The younger turned and called over his shoulder.

"You guys go check out! We'll meet up with you later!" And then he disappeared after his siblings.

"Should we go after them?" Natalia questioned, but surprisingly, it was Kota who shook her head.

"No," the dark haired girl said. "Let 'em go." She turned and headed back to the changing room.

"This is a moment the three of them need to have."

xxx

Kuro hadn't wandered into another store at all. Rather, she went and sat down in a sitting area, looking about ready to cry. When her brothers came up to her, she just sniffed and looked away as they both sat down on either side of her.

"Mind telling us what's really wrong?" Asch asked, slipping his arm around her shoulders. Kuro shrugged, not responding.

"Come on, Kuro. We can't help if you won't tell us what's wrong-"

"It's not something you can help with, anyway," the youngest Fabre sibling muttered, shrugging off Asch's arm. "Just forget about it, okay?"

"No," Asch retorted. "Something making you this upset isn't something we're going to 'forget about.'"

"Look, it's not changeable, alright? So just drop it."

"No."

"Guys, _please_."

"What is it that's making you so upset?" Luke pleaded, trying to meet his sister's eyes, but she kept turning her face away.

"It's seriously nothing important. I'll get over it, like always."

"What do you mean 'like always?'" Asch inquired. Kuro didn't say anything. "Has this bothered you before?"

"…Yes," was the simple reply.

"…Alright, how about we play twenty questions?" Luke said, and his siblings looked at him. "Asch and I will ask you a question, Kuro, and you have to answer 'yes' or 'no.' If we hit twenty and we haven't figured it out, we'll drop it. Deal?"

"…Deal." Luke glanced up at Asch and nodded.

"So it _has _bothered you before?" Asch repeated, and Kuro nodded.

"Yes."

"And there's apparently nothing we can do to help?"

"No."

Luke thought for a moment. "Is it related to people?"

"…Yes?"

"Was it something someone said to you?" Asch tacked on.

"…No. Not recently."

"What do you mean 'recently?' Has someone said it to you before?"

"Yes."

"Is it something people tease you about?"

"…Yes. Sometimes."

Luke bit his lip as he thought it through. So, it had bothered her before, people teased her about it, and it wasn't changeable. "Is it something that's physically wrong? A scar or something of the like?"

"No."

"Is it something mental, then? Like when someone makes fun of you and it just kinda echoes in your head?"

"…Yes."

Luke eyed Asch, and he could tell that the oldest sibling was piecing it together too. Twelve questions left.

"Is it something related to today?"

"…Yes." Kuro's answers were getting more and more hesitant.

"More specifically…" Asch continued, "related to dress-shopping?"

Kuro was quiet for a while before answering. "…Yeah."

"Or related to clothes-shopping in general?" Kuro didn't even reply to this one, she only nodded slowly.

"It's because none of the dresses you've tried on fit, isn't it?" Luke asked, pushing the final piece of the puzzle into place. No response at all this time.

"Kuro…" Asch started slowly, "are you upset about your weight?"

She hiccupped.

Game over. They'd won.

"Oh, Kuro," Luke soothed, wrapping his arms around the younger girl. She curled in on herself.

"I-I'm never going to be able to pull off dresses like other girls can!" she stated. "They're all too short for me, or not my type, and I'm so fat I can barely fit into half of them-"

"You are _not _fat, Kuro," Asch cut in, placing his hand on his sister's back. She hiccupped again.

"Y-Yes I am!" she insisted. "And on top of that I'm not pretty either…"

"That's not true," Asch pressed. "How could you think that?"

"It _is _true!" Kuro inhaled softly, and Luke knew she had started crying. He pulled her closer to him and looked at Asch.

Sure, Kuro was thicker in her tummy then most girls, but as far as Luke knew, it hadn't ever been a problem before. She found shirts and jeans okay, and she'd gone dress shopping before. Why was she suddenly thinking this now?

"Hey," Asch said softly. "Look at me." She didn't move. "Kuro, look at me."

Reluctantly, Kuro pulled her tear-stained face away from Luke's chest and looked at Asch. He lifted his hand and wiped the water off her face.

"You are not fat. Maybe you aren't skinny like most girls, but that doesn't mean you're overweight. You just actually eat and have meat on your bones."

"But-" He put his finger over her lips.

"And you aren't ugly, either, whether you have your hair done and makeup on or not."

"Beauty doesn't just come from looks, you know," Luke pointed out. "It comes from who you are. You're funny, you're smart, you're creative, you're kind…" He ran a hand through her brown hair. "You have a pretty face _and _a pretty personality. You have the best of both worlds. And haven't you ever looked at your eyes? They're beautiful. And so is your smile."

"There is _nothing _wrong with you, Kuro," Asch finished. "_Nothing_. You understand?"

She sniffed, wiping her cheeks again and nodding slowly. Asch scooted closer to them, and he wrapped his arms around them both. Luke did the same, and together they enveloped their sister into the biggest hug they could manage.

"Th-thanks, guys," she said, smiling slightly. Asch ruffled her hair.

"That's what big brothers are for. Now, come on," he said, standing and offering them each a hand. "We need to go find the _perfect _dress for the _perfect _girl."

xxx

"Alright, you guys ready?"

"We're ready!" Kota called.

"Yeah, show us what's up!" Guy added, and giggles were heard from inside the changing stall. The door opened, and Asch and Luke stepped out.

"Introducing…" Asch started dramatically, "Miss Kuro Kimkuthian fon Fabre!" Luke made a "dun dun dah!" sound effect as they both stepped out of the way to reveal Kuro, standing with a new dress on. It fell just below her knees and had a ruffled drooping collar. The fabric was a mix of orange and yellow, and they'd matched it with a dark red-orange shrug.

"Holy shit…" Guy breathed.

"Dude, you look _awesome_!" Kota exclaimed.

"It's so cute!" Tear agreed, and Natalia nodded, a bright smile on her face.

Kuro was grinning from ear to ear as she spun around, the dress billowing out around her. She laughed.

"It's perfect!" she exclaimed, tackling her brothers in a hug that they easily returned.

"You're perfect…" they mumbled in unison, and she gave them an even bigger smile when she pulled away.

"Ding ding ding!" Kota sounded as she and Kuro high-fived. "We have a winner!"

"This is gonna be the best dance ever!"

Asch sighed, crossing his arms. "It better be, after all this."

"Hey, admit it Mister Moody," Luke chided, bumping his hip against Asch's. "You're glad you came." Asch glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and to Luke's surprise, smiled and slipped an arm around him.

"Fine," he said. "I admit it. I have to listen to you more often."

* * *

**DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWW! The adorableness! At least I thought it was adorable xD **

**It's weird. I've been experimenting with the idea of putting Kuro and Asch together, and I love Asch with several other O.C pairings, yet here I am giving him to Natalia xD I'm actually a huge AschxNatalia fan, despite my love for AschxO.C pairings. I like a lot of pairings, okay? So keep an open mind while reading my stories! **

**Anyway, I'm really only doing this for my sake and for the sake of my friend's, so we can come back and read this and be all "Hey, remember that?!" So reviews are nice but I'm not asking for them. If you wanna leave a note or two, feel free, but it is not necessary! I'll actually be surprised if this even gets any views xD**

**See ya guys later!**

**Valerie(SonicGirl2002)**


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